By Reena Wasserstein
On the last night in Tzfat, we visited the Amuka cemetery, an interesting religious experience, unlike anything I have ever experienced. The Amuka (which comes from the word deep) is in a valley just outside Tzfat. Known for its religious significance, the Amuka is the gravesite of Rabbi Yonatan Ben Uziel, a student of Rabbi Hillel. He never married and it is said that anyone who prays at his grave will find their partner within the year. There is a funny thing where people leave their prayer books at the site with their number in it, with the hope that the person who does the mitzvah of hashavat avedah (returning a lost object) will be their soul mate.
I come from a religious lifestyle, but I do not typically believe in superstition or segulot, which are acts done to increase the change of some desired outcome to occur. Jamie discussed the meaning behind the tomb and why so many people believe in its power. Personally, I thought about Kavanah, intentionality, which was a big focus on the Shabbaton. I recognized that I do believe in the power of prayer, but also focusing on the desired outcome could lead a person to recognize the importance of that outcome to them and to make changes in their life which would lead to positive results. For example, if a person prays with a lot of focus to find their partner they may also change other aspects of their life in order to achieve that outcome. I appreciated how I was able to see the beauty in a ritual I did not normally understand and how the setting allowed me to rethink ideas.
